Most vehicle trailer hitches on the road today have draw bars that project outwardly from a vehicle's rear bumper. Unfortunately, these draw bars require removing a locking pin before storing them remotely from the vehicle's hitch. Therefore, draw bars tend to remain projecting from a vehicle for years at a time. Disadvantages of projecting draw bars include both exaggerated damage during collisions and personal injury to inattentive passers-by.
Over the years, several retractable designs have provided solutions to these problems. C. A. Strand's concealable trailer hitch, U.S. Pat. No. 2,624,589, solved this problem with a coupling ball mounted to an attachment bar. This attachment bar slid in and out from underneath a vehicle and locked in and out of these respective positions. H. I. Pearson, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,640,550, discloses a trailer hitch that folds and locks in and out of position. Finally, J. A. Carda's U.S. Des. Pat. No. 2.337.292 discloses a telescoping trailer hitch.
C. A. Derksen and T. C. Johnson, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,671,674 and 3,717,362, respectively disclose retractable trailer hitches that slide and lock along a groove to lock the hitch in its active pulling position and in a stored-away position. F. T. Sargent's U.S. Pat. No. 2,544,185, discloses an L-shaped hitch that pivots and slides in-and-out of position. A locking pin then secures the L-shaped hitch in the desired position. The disadvantage with these pivoting designs is that the hitch remains visible from low angles.
It is the object of this invention to provide a retractable hitch that stores in a position where a coupling ball remains hidden at low angles during storage.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a hitch that extends from a hidden position underneath a vehicle and locks into a pulling position.
It is a further object of this invention to protect a coupling ball from moisture, sand and road salt during storage.